Two of the Prophet's wives were Aisha and Hafsa. Write an account of their lives during the lifetime of the Prophet.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] Aisha: she was the daughter of the Prophet's close companion, Abu Bakr; she was married to the Prophet in Madina at a young age, and became his third wife; she was married to the Prophet for nine years; she was known for her intelligence and sharp memory which is why she was able to narrate so many saying of the Prophet .She was involved in many important events in the life of the Prophet, and verses were revealed to the Prophet about her in relation to event of the necklace (Nur:11–19); the Prophet passed away whilst he was with her.
2. [10] Hafsa: she was the daughter of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and was widowed at a young age; like Aisha, she memorised the Qur'an by heart; she lived with the Prophet for eight years. She was quick tempered like her father and was not shy to dispute with the Prophet. Revelation came after the honey incident, where she told the Prophet his mouth didn't smell good after eating honey. She died around 60 years old
3. [4] Muslims can learn that being wives of the Prophet, and being pious and close to God themselves, they still valued being educated, knowing the way the Prophet did things, trying to understand the teachings of Islam, and then teaching others the rules about Islamic rites and obligations, etc. This should also mean that women now should value education too, and whilst they can still be good wives and Muslims, learning and passing on that knowledge is a valuable thing to do, and should not be neglected.